"Captain, this should be the site of the plan. There are signs that the place has been cleaned up, so it looks like a battle took place here."
A group of ninjas dressed as Kirigakure Anbu appeared in the valley where Lan had killed the Kirigakure Ninja. They carefully searched the surrounding ground, hoping to find useful information.
Unfortunately, the Kirigakure Anbu had arrived too late. The puppets activated by the Tenseigan had cleared away all traces that might reveal their identities, so they had found very few clues.
"By the looks of it, Pakura may not be dead after all. Our people are all missing, too. Could she have killed them all by herself?"
The Anbu squad leader clenched his fists, looking furious. It seemed he found the truth hard to accept.
"Could Sunagakure have pretended to seek peace, then secretly sent people to ambush our men? Otherwise, there's no way Pakura could have killed everyone on her own," one of them speculated.
"That's all just speculation. Report this to the Mizukage first and let him decide. If Sunagakure really is behind this, Kirigakure won't let them get away with it."
In the Kirigakure tower, Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura read the intelligence brought by the Anbu, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
After he passed the report to several Kirigakure elders, the meeting room fell silent for a moment. Then a heated argument broke out.
"I think this is Sunagakure's scheme. They never had any intention of negotiating in good faith."
"But the intelligence we received says Rasa is very wary of Pakura. His plan this time was to use us to get rid of her, so I don't think Sunagakure is to blame."
"Oh? You're saying Sunagakure isn't responsible. Does that mean it was one of our own people?
You're actually suspicious of your fellow villagers for the sake of an outsider. Are you even fit to be an elder of Kirigakure?"
A young, white-haired man raised an eyebrow and challenged an elderly man.
"Clan Head of the Kaguya Clan, I'm only stating my suspicions. Why are you so quick to accuse me?
Are you feeling guilty?"
The elderly man shot back without backing down.
Kirigakure was far from united. The various factions all had their own ideas. There were those who favored peace, naturally, and those who favored war—and the two sides were locked in fierce conflict.
That was why the peace faction's elders suspected the Kaguya Clan Head, who belonged to the war faction.
"Bullshit. Do you think I'm as stupid as you?
Why would I do something so thankless? Looks like you've wasted your whole life getting old, you damn dog."
The Kaguya Clan Head wasn't about to let anyone pin the blame on him, but his crude words sent the elder into a rage.
The elder even forgot his dignity. He looked ready to roll up his sleeves and fight the Kaguya Clan Head right there in the meeting room.
When the situation seemed on the verge of getting out of hand, Karatachi Yagura finally spoke up.
"Enough. Stop making accusations without evidence. Our priority is to find Pakura. Once we do, the truth will come out.
"Until we find her, keep your people in line. Don't do anything that could bring trouble down on us at this critical moment."
Karatachi Yagura's gaze swept over everyone. All those it passed lowered their heads, afraid to meet his eyes.
There was one exception: the young Kaguya Clan Head. He looked Yagura straight in the eye, and Yagura could even see a hint of eagerness for a fight in his expression.
To remain completely unfazed by the fearsome pressure of Karatachi Yagura, a Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails, and act with such a fervor for battle—he truly was worthy of being the head of the Kaguya Clan.
Karatachi Yagura seemed used to the Kaguya Clan Head's defiant personality. He remained calm, acting as if he hadn't taken the other man's insolence to heart.
"The village's interests come first. If I find out anyone has put their own interests ahead of the bigger picture, don't blame me for being ruthless."
His face darkened as he spoke, as if he already had someone in mind.
Clearly, he still suspected that someone in Kirigakure was behind this.
Hmph. I hope this wasn't the work of one of you troublemakers in the village. Otherwise, for the sake of the village's future, I'm just as capable of doing what Rasa did.
"For now, leave Sunagakure alone. Put off the peace negotiations for as long as possible..."
Land of Rain.
In a hidden cave.
Obito, wearing a mask shaped like a spiral, asked Black Zetsu,
"Why haven't we seen Nagato lately? What has he been doing?"
In response to Obito's question, Black Zetsu replied,
"Nagato's control over the power of the Rinnegan has improved recently. I heard he's found a way to resolve his current situation, and soon he'll be able to wield even greater power than before."
"Oh? Is that so?
"I'd like to see this new power of the Rinnegan for myself."
As soon as Obito finished speaking, a magnetic voice rang out in the cave amid the sound of approaching footsteps.
"Oh?
"Do you want to be the first to witness this power, Madara?"
Six figures in red-cloud cloaks came before Obito. The one at their head was someone Obito knew well: the former leader of the Akatsuki... Yahiko.
Like the other five figures, Yahiko's eyes were patterned with ripples: the Rinnegan. They were all special vessels controlled by the power of the Rinnegan.
"What is this?"
"We are Pain."
Pain?
Interesting. So this was the power of the Rinnegan. It really was incredible.
"Madara, what do you want with me?"
In response to Pain's question, Obito replied,
"I wasn't completely confident this bold plan would work before, but now it might really succeed. Still, we need to recruit a few more people to be safe."
Pain's expression tightened at Obito's words. Who could make the other man so cautious? Was his target Hanzo?
To Nagato, Hanzo was the man who had killed his dear friend Yahiko, and the person he was determined to kill. He had worked so hard to control the power of the Rinnegan and create the Six Paths of Pain so he could kill Hanzo as soon as possible and avenge his friend.
But even though he hated Hanzo and wanted to kill him at once, he wasn't foolish enough to underestimate a man in his prime.
The man known as the Demigod was one of the strongest figures in the Ninja World.
The Six Paths of Pain had only just been created, and their power had yet to be tested.
If he attacked Hanzo rashly now and succeeded, that would be well and good. But if he failed and gave Hanzo time to prepare, killing him later would be far more difficult.
"Don't worry. The opponent I have in mind will be perfect for testing Pain's strength. Think of it as a trial run before we go after Hanzo."
Hearing this, Pain scoffed.
"No matter who it is, they'll be no match for the power of the Rinnegan. Hanzo will be no exception."
Obito knew Pain was just saying that. If he were really so confident, he would have gone to kill Hanzo already. The fact that he hadn't acted meant he wasn't sure he could win.
Realizing this, Obito didn't call him out. Instead, he changed the subject.
"Our organization doesn't have enough people right now. The most urgent thing is to recruit some more so we can act more easily."
"Do you have anyone in mind?" Pain asked.
"Of course. First, the Sunagakure rogue ninja Sasori.
"The Takigakure rogue ninja, Kakuzu.
"The Konoha rogue ninja, Orochimaru.
"The Kirigakure rogue ninja, Juzo Biwa.
"They're all powerful rogue ninjas. If we can recruit them, they'll be a great help in our effort to collect the Tailed Beasts.
"I've already asked White Zetsu to track them down. I'm sure we'll find them soon."
"Then let's get moving."